LeBron James Claims He Wants to Play in 1 NFL Game

Miami Heat and NBA superstar LeBron James has long drawn the attention of the NFL for his freakish athletic ability.

On Friday night, James answered a question on Twitter that should have NFL fans foaming at the mouth.

Here's the tweet:

The four-time league MVP played football during his high school years at St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, Ohio, but gave that life up after he was the No. 1 pick in the 2003 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Ten years later, he's now arguably the greatest basketball player on the planet and still in his prime to boot.

He probably had a future as an NFL tight end had basketball not panned out.

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James was recruited by Urban Meyer—then the wide receivers coach at Notre Dame—when he was still walking the halls of St. Vincent-St. Mary High. As reported by Melissa Rohlin of the Los Angeles Times, Meyer is on record as saying James had Hall of Fame potential as a football player.

During the NBA lockout in 2011, James and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant were involved in "LeBron's Flag Football Classic," in which James showed off his skills:

James is a Dallas Cowboys fan by trade, but there's little doubt his hometown Cleveland Browns would bend over backward to bring him on board. Can you imagine what Tom Brady, Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers could do with James running seam routes?

At 6'8", he might even be the league's tallest player. Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler is also 6'8", as you can see in USA Today writer Chris Chase's latest piece.

Current NFL stars also feel James could make the leap. Miami Dolphins wide receiver Mike Wallace and Cowboys wideout Dez Bryant have both been quoted in support of that theory over the past few months.

Michael Jordan put his career on hold for baseball. King James probably won't do that at this point in his career, but if the Heat win their third straight NBA title in 2014, it would be deja vu for LeBron to hang up his sneakers for an alternate professional career.

Even if it was just one official game, I have a feeling attendance records—and maybe the Internet—would shatter if James ever does join an NFL roster.

James and the Heat will begin their second straight title defense on Oct. 29 against the Chicago Bulls. As he takes the court for the first time this season, stop and picture what it might look like to see him in shoulder pads and a helmet.